Ambient light sensors

ABSTRACT

Examples of electrical devices are described herein. In some examples, an electrical device includes a button disposed to protrude through a window of a faceplate. A gap is disposed between the button and the faceplate. The electrical device includes an ambient light guide disposed to (1) reside behind the gap and (2) collect ambient light to pass through the gap. The electrical device includes an ambient light sensor configured to sense the ambient light collected by the ambient light guide.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to structures and devices. Morespecifically, the present disclosure relates to ambient light sensors.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the use of electrical devices has increaseddramatically. Some electrical devices have also increased in capabilityand/or complexity.

Many varieties of electrical devices are conveniently used in homes andbusinesses. Many homes and businesses include multiple electricaldevices to assist in everyday tasks. For example, electrical devices maybe used for convenience and/or control.

However, some electrical devices may provide poor features, poorfunctionality, and/or may work inconsistently. For instance, someelectrical devices may be arranged poorly, may fail to work, and/or maymalfunction in some cases. As can be observed from this discussion,improvements to the reliability, functionality, and/or features ofelectrical devices may be beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a front view of an example of anelectrical device in accordance with some of the techniques andstructures described herein;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the diagram of theexample of the electrical device in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a front elevational view of an exampleof an electrical device;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the diagram of theexample of the electrical device in FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational, enlarged view of a region of FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a top down view of an example of anambient light guide in accordance with some examples of the techniquesand structures described herein;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a side elevation view of an example ofan ambient light guide in accordance with some examples of thetechniques and structures described herein;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of an example of anambient light guide in accordance with some examples of the techniquesand structures described herein;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating one configuration of a method forsensing ambient light; and

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating various components that may beutilized in an electrical device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An electrical device is described. The electrical device includes abutton disposed to protrude through a window of a faceplate. A gap isdisposed between the button and the faceplate. The electrical devicealso includes an ambient light guide disposed to (1) reside behind thegap and (2) collect ambient light to pass through the gap. Theelectrical device further includes an ambient light sensor configured tosense the ambient light collected by the ambient light guide.

The faceplate may include a bevel along the gap to permit ambient lightentry into the gap from an oblique angle. The button may include a bevelalong the gap to permit ambient light entry into the gap from an obliqueangle. A size of the gap may be 5 millimeters or less.

The ambient light guide may include oblique surfaces to reflect lighttowards a center of the ambient light guide. The ambient light guide mayextend over a majority of the gap in a width dimension.

The ambient light guide may include a light pipe extending from acollector structure towards the ambient light sensor. The light pipe maybe polyhedral in shape. The light pipe may include an angled neckextending above a top surface of the collector structure of the ambientlight guide. The electrical device may include a controller configuredto control a backlight of the electrical device based on a sensedmeasurement of the ambient light produced by the ambient light sensor.

A method is also described. The method includes collecting, by anambient light guide, ambient light passing through a gap between astructure and a faceplate of an electrical device. The ambient lightguide is disposed behind the gap. The method also includes sensing, byan ambient light sensor, the ambient light collected by the ambientlight guide.

An electrical device is a device that operates with electricity, thatcontrols electricity, that receives electricity, and/or that provideselectricity. Examples of an electrical device include a light switch,wall switch, dimmer, control panel, push button switch, keyboard, mouse,game controller, click pad, touch pad, keypad, doorbell, thermostat,sprinkler controls, vehicle console, power outlet, wall jack, light(e.g., path light, night light, etc.), etc. Some examples of theelectrical devices described herein include and/or utilize astructure(s) (e.g., button(s)) in a cover opening (e.g., faceplatewindow).

In some examples, an electrical device may be configured to senseambient light. For instance, an electrical device may include an ambientlight sensor to detect and/or measure a level (e.g., brightness) ofambient light. In some approaches, an electrical device may include alight guide or light pipe to carry ambient light to an ambient lightsensor. For instance, a light guide or light pipe may be disposed at anexterior of an electrical device to carry ambient light from the outsideof the electrical device to the ambient light sensor. However, disposinga light guide or light pipe at the exterior of the electrical device mayresult in functional and/or design compromises. For instance, placing alight pipe at a button surface may restrict button motion and/or mayrequire an additional mechanism to handle light pipe motion. In someapproaches, placing a light pipe at a surface of an electrical devicemay require manufacturing an additional hole or opening on the surfaceto accommodate the light pipe. In some approaches, placing a light pipeat a surface of an electrical device may detract from a designconsideration(s), such as solid surfaces and/or a clean appearance. Itmay be challenging to capture light below a surface of an electronicdevice. For instance, it may be difficult to capture enough light belowthe surface to accurately measure ambient light.

Some examples of the structures and techniques described herein mayaddress one or more of the foregoing challenges. For instance, anambient light sensor may be hidden behind a faceplate and may collectlight through a narrow gap between a structure (e.g., button) and afaceplate. The ambient light sensor may provide expanded functionalitywhile remaining hidden from a user. For instance, ambient light sensingmay be utilized to determine an ambient light level, to control lightproduction (e.g., light brightness, backlight brightness, etc.), and/orto report an ambient light level.

In some examples, a structure (e.g., button) may provide light and/ormay be backlit. For instance, an electronic device may include abacklight to illuminate a button. A backlit button may provide increasedvisibility for a user(s). For instance, a backlit button (e.g., backlitlight switch, backlit keyboard, backlit thermostat button, etc.) mayprovide increased utility by enabling ease of location and/or byidentifying a function associated with the button in darkerenvironments. In some examples, a path light or night light mayilluminate an indoor or outdoor path. In some examples, a power outletor wall jack may be backlit to enable ease of location or may providelight to provide home lighting.

In some examples, an electrical device may control lighting (e.g.,backlighting) brightness in a direct (e.g., proportional, positivelycorrelated, etc.) relationship to the detected ambient light level or inan inverse (e.g., inversely proportional, negatively correlated, etc.)relationship to the detected ambient light level. For instance, anelectrical device may control lighting brightness (e.g., backlightingbrightness) to increase with an increased ambient light level and/or todecrease with a decreasing ambient light level. In some examples, anelectrical device may control lighting brightness (e.g., path lightbrightness, overhead light brightness) to increase with a decreasedambient light level and/or to decrease with an increasing ambient lightlevel.

Various configurations are now described with reference to the Figures,where like reference numbers may indicate functionally similar elements.The systems and methods as generally described and illustrated in theFigures herein could be arranged and designed in a wide variety ofdifferent configurations. Thus, the following more detailed descriptionof several configurations, as represented in the Figures, is notintended to limit scope, as claimed, but is merely representative of thesystems and methods.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a front view of an example of anelectrical device 102 in accordance with some of the techniques andstructures described herein. In the example of FIG. 1 , the electricaldevice 102 includes a button 104 and a faceplate 106. The button 104 isa structure configured to actuate based on a physical contact (e.g.,pressure, touch, push, etc.) and/or configured to detect a physicalcontact. The faceplate 106 is a cover. For instance, the faceplate 106may conceal one or more components of the electrical device 102 when thefaceplate 106 is attached to a body of the electrical device 102. Insome examples, a subplate (not shown in FIG. 1 ) may be attached to thebody of the electrical device 102 (e.g., may be screwed to a yoke plateof the electrical device 102). The faceplate 106 may be attached to thesubplate (e.g., mechanically interfaced with the subplate, snapped tothe subplate, etc.) to attach the faceplate 106 to the body of theelectrical device 102. In some examples, the faceplate 106 may beattached to the body of the electrical device 102 with a fastener (e.g.,screw, clip, adhesive, etc.). In some examples, the faceplate 106 may beattached to the body of the electrical device 102 without a subplate.

In some examples, the button 104 and/or the faceplate 106 may befabricated from a material(s) such as a polymer(s), thermoplastic(s),resin(s), polycarbonate(s), metal(s), etc. For instance, the button 104and/or the faceplate 106 may be fabricated by injection molding. Thebutton 104 and faceplate 106 are illustrated in FIG. 1 in a height(e.g., z) dimension and a width (e.g., x) dimension.

In some examples, the button 104 is disposed to protrude through awindow 108 of the faceplate 106. The window 108 may be an opening in thefaceplate 106. For instance, the button 104 may be disposed to extendbeyond the facial surface of the faceplate 106. In some examples, thebutton 104 or another structure may be disposed to protrude through awindow 108 (e.g., above a level or plane of the facial surface of thefaceplate 106), may be disposed approximately flush with an outersurface (e.g., facial surface) of the faceplate 106, or may be disposedbelow (e.g., recessed below) the level (e.g., plane) of the outersurface of the faceplate 106. While the button 104 is given as anexample in FIG. 1 , another structure (e.g., power socket structure,jack structure, port structure, keystone jack structure, lightstructure, keypad structure, etc.) may be disposed in the window 108instead of the button 104 in some examples. In the example of FIG. 1 ,the window 108 is rectangular in shape. In some examples, the window 108may be shaped differently (e.g., circularly shaped, roundedrectangularly shaped, oval shaped, irregularly shaped, curved in shape,etc.). In some examples, the faceplate 106 may include multiple windows108 (e.g., two windows for two power outlets).

In some examples, a gap 110 is disposed between the button 104 (oranother structure) and the faceplate 106. For instance, the dispositionof the button 104 (or another structure) relative to the faceplate 106may form a gap 110. In some examples, the gap 110 may be a space betweenthe button 104 (or another structure) and the faceplate 106. In someexamples, the gap 110 may be a space in the height (e.g., z) dimension.In some examples, the gap 110 may be a space between approximatelyparallel edges (e.g., within ±5° of parallel) of the button 104 (oranother structure) and the faceplate 106. In some examples, a size(e.g., height) of the gap may be less than 5 millimeters (mm) (e.g.,0.81 mm, 0.9 mm, less than 1 mm, less than 3 mm, etc.). In someexamples, the gap 110 may be sized such that one dimension (e.g.,height) of the gap 110 is defined as a distance between the structure(e.g., button 104) and the faceplate 106. Another dimension (e.g.,width) of the gap 110 may be defined based on a corresponding dimensionof the structure (e.g., button 104). For instance, a largest dimensionof the gap 110 may be the size of the corresponding dimension of thestructure or larger. In some examples, another dimension (e.g., depth,distance between an outer edge of the gap 110 and the ambient lightguide 112) of the gap 110 may be 1 centimeter (cm) or less (e.g., 3 mm,2 mm, 1 mm, <1 mm, etc.).

FIG. 2 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the diagram of theexample of the electrical device 102 taken across the line 2-2 in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the electrical device 102 may include anambient light guide 112 and/or an ambient light sensor 114. The button104 and faceplate 106 are illustrated in FIG. 2 in a height (e.g., z)dimension and a depth (e.g., y) dimension.

The ambient light guide 112 may be disposed to reside behind the gap110. For instance, the ambient light guide 112 may be disposed behind aspace (e.g., the gap 110) between and an edge of the button 104 and anedge of faceplate 106 (e.g., edge of the window 108). In some examples,the ambient light guide 112 may be disposed behind a space between aninner (e.g., bottom) edge or surface of the window 108 and an outer(e.g., bottom) edge or surface of the button 104 (or another structure).In some examples, In some examples, the ambient light guide 112 may bedisposed at a depth of 1 centimeter (cm) or less (e.g., 3 mm, 2 mm, 1mm, <1 mm, etc.) from the facial surface of the faceplate 106. In someexamples, the ambient light guide 112 may be disposed adjacent to (e.g.,below) a bottom edge and/or surface of the button 104 or anotherstructure in the window 108 (e.g., may be disposed adjacent to a portionof the button 104 that is behind the facial surface of the faceplate106. In some examples, the ambient light guide 112 may not be in contactwith the button 104 (or another structure in the window 108). In someexamples, the gap 110 may provide a margin to house the button 104 (oranother structure in the window 108), may provide clearance formechanical movement of the button 104, and/or may provide light passageto the ambient light guide 112. In some examples, the gap 110 maysatisfy multiple conditions concurrently (e.g., mechanical buttonclearance and light passage). In some examples, the gap 110 may extendacross a dimension (e.g., over the whole width dimension) of the button104 or another structure in the window 108.

The ambient light guide 112 may be disposed to collect ambient light topass through the gap 110. For instance, some of the ambient light in theenvironment may pass through the gap 110 to the ambient light guide 112.The ambient light guide 112 may conduct (e.g., carry, transmit, etc.)the ambient light from the environment to the ambient light sensor 114.In some examples, the ambient light guide 112 may be fabricated from atransparent material (e.g., polycarbonate). A transparent material maybe a material that permits the conduction, carrying, and/or transmissionof light. In some examples, a transparent material may be completely orpartially transparent. For instance, the ambient light guide 112 may befabricated with polycarbonate 945 (without an additive(s), for example)or fabricated with polycarbonate 945 with an additive (e.g., tint,coloring, whitening agent, R69, “milkiness,” etc.) that causes thetransparent molded member 104 to be semi-transparent.

The ambient light sensor 114 may be configured to sense the ambientlight collected by the ambient light guide 112. For instance, theambient light sensor 114 may be a photosensitive device(s) (e.g.,photoelectric circuitry, photoresistor(s), photodiode(s),photocapacitor(s), phototransistor(s), charge-coupled device (CCD)sensor, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, etc.). Insome examples, the ambient light sensor 114 may produce a voltage and/orcurrent that varies based on the brightness of light on the ambientlight sensor 114. The ambient light sensor 114 may produce one or moresensed measurements indicating an ambient light level (e.g., brightness,lumens, etc.).

In some examples, the electrical device 102 may include circuitry (notshown in FIG. 2 ) to perform one or more operations based on the sensedmeasurement(s). For instance, the ambient light sensor 114 may providethe sensed measurement(s) to the circuitry, which may perform anoperation(s) based on the sensed measurement(s). Some examples of thecircuitry may include a controller, processor (e.g., microprocessor),state machine, field-programmable gate array (FPGA),application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), switch(es),multiplexer(s), lookup table(s) (LUT(s)), etc. Examples of operationsmay include controlling a backlight level, controlling a light level,sending the sensed measurement(s) to another device(s) (e.g., homeautomation controller, server, network(s), etc.). For instance, theelectrical device 102 may include (not shown in FIG. 2 ) a lightsource(s) (e.g., light-emitting diode(s) (LED(s))). The electricaldevice 102 (e.g., circuitry) may control the light source(s) to controla light level and/or backlight level based on the sensed measurement(s).For example, the circuitry (e.g., controller) may determine (e.g., lookup) a light level setting based on a sensed measurement. In someexamples, the circuitry (e.g., controller) may adjust the light levelaccording to the determined light level setting. For instance, theelectrical device 102 may include a controller configured to control abacklight of the electrical device 102 based on a sensed measurement ofthe ambient light produced by the ambient light sensor 114.

In some examples, the electrical device 102 may include a communicationinterface. For instance, the electrical device 102 may include a wiredand/or wireless communication interface (e.g., Wi-Fi interface, Zigbeeinterface, Bluetooth interface, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface,Ethernet interface, and/or power-line communication (PLC) interface,etc.). In some examples, the circuitry (e.g., controller) may send thesensed measurement(s) to another device(s) (e.g., home automationcontroller, server, network, etc.) using the communication interface.For instance, a sensed measurement(s) may be sent to a home automationcontroller and/or server to control lighting based on the sensedmeasurement(s). In some examples, a home automation controller mayactivate outdoor lighting when a sensed measurement indicates an ambientlight level below a threshold.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a front elevational view of an exampleof an electrical device 322. FIG. 3 is illustrated in a height (e.g., z)dimension and a width (e.g., x) dimension. FIG. 4 is a side elevationalcross-sectional view of the diagram of the example of the electricaldevice 322 taken across the line 4-4 in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is illustratedin a height (e.g., z) dimension and a depth (e.g., y) dimension. FIG. 5is a side elevational, enlarged view of a region 5 of FIG. 4 . FIG. 5 isillustrated in a height (e.g., z) dimension and a depth (e.g., y)dimension. FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , and FIG. 5 are described together.

The electrical device 322 may be an example of the electrical device 102described in relation to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . In the example of FIG. 3 ,the electrical device 322 includes a button 324, a faceplate 326, awindow 328, a gap 330, an ambient light guide 332, and/or an ambientlight sensor 334. The button 324, faceplate 326, window 328, gap 330,ambient light guide 332, and/or ambient light sensor 334 may be examplesof a corresponding element(s) described in relation to FIG. 1 and/orFIG. 2 . In some examples, the electrical device 322 may include a yokeplate 348. In some examples, the electrical device 322 (e.g., yoke plate348) may be attached to a surface (e.g., wall, wall box, etc.) with afirst fastener 352 (e.g., first screws). In some examples, theelectrical device 322 may include a subplate 346. The subplate 346 maybe attached to a body of the electrical device 322 (e.g., yoke plate348) with a second fastener 350 (e.g., second screws). The faceplate 326may be attached to the subplate 346 (e.g., mechanically interfaced withthe subplate, snapped to the subplate, etc.) to attach the faceplate 326to the body of the electrical device 322.

In the example of FIG. 4 , the button 324 is disposed to protrudethrough the window 328 of the faceplate 326. For instance, the button324 is disposed to extend beyond the facial surface of the faceplate326. While the button 324 is given as an example in FIG. 3 , anotherstructure (e.g., power socket structure, jack structure, port structure,keystone jack structure, light structure, keypad structure, etc.) may bedisposed in the window 328 instead of the button 324 in some examples.As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 , the gap 330 is disposed between the button324 and the faceplate 326. In the example of FIGS. 3-5 , the gap 330 is0.81 mm in height.

In some examples, a faceplate may include a bevel along a gap to permitambient light entry into a gap from an oblique angle. In the example ofFIG. 3 , the faceplate 326 includes a first bevel 338 along the gap 330to permit (e.g., increase) ambient light entry into the gap 330 from anoblique angle (e.g., light shining in an obliquely upward directiontowards the gap 330). In some examples, a bevel may be disposed at anangle within a range (e.g., 180°<bevel angle <270°). In the example ofFIG. 3 , a first angle 340 of the first bevel 338 is disposed at 213°relative to a facial surface of the faceplate 326. In the example ofFIG. 3 , a faceplate bevel depth is 0.91 mm.

In some examples, a structure (e.g., button) may include a bevel along agap to permit ambient light entry into a gap from an oblique angle. Inthe example of FIG. 3 , the button 324 includes a second bevel 336 alongthe gap 330 to permit (e.g., increase) ambient light entry into the gap330 from an oblique angle (e.g., light shining in an obliquely downwarddirection towards the gap 330). In the example of FIG. 3 , a secondangle 342 of the second bevel 336 is disposed at 239° relative to afacial surface of the button 324. In the example of FIG. 3 , a buttonbevel depth 344 is 0.90 mm.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the electrical device 322 includesan ambient light guide 332 and an ambient light sensor 334. The ambientlight guide 332 is disposed behind the gap 330. The ambient light guide332 disposed partially underneath a side (e.g., bottom side, bottomsurface) of the button 324. In some examples, the ambient light guide332 includes a light pipe 356 to conduct (e.g., transmit, carry, etc.)ambient light to the ambient light sensor 334. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the light pipe 356 may be partially disposed behind the button 324 (inthe height dimension). The ambient light sensor 334 may produce a sensedmeasurement(s) based on the light conducted to the ambient light sensor334 by the ambient light guide 332.

In some examples, the electrical device 322 may include a housing 354.The housing 354 may house circuitry to perform one or more operationsbased on the sensed measurement(s). In the example of FIGS. 3-5 , theelectrical device 322 includes an LED to provide a backlight to thebutton 324. The electrical device 322 (e.g., circuitry) may control theLED to control a backlight level based on the sensed measurement(s). Forexample, the circuitry controls the brightness of the LED in a directrelationship with an ambient light brightness indicated by the sensedmeasurements.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a top down view of an example of anambient light guide 670 in accordance with some examples of thetechniques and structures described herein. The ambient light guide 670may be an example of one or more of the ambient light guides (e.g., ofthe ambient light guide 112 described in relation to FIG. 1 , of theambient light guide 332 described in relation to FIG. 4 , etc.)described herein. FIG. 6 is illustrated in a depth (e.g., y) dimensionand a width (e.g., x) dimension.

The ambient light guide 670 may include a collector structure 665 and/ora light pipe 664. The collector structure 665 may serve to receiveand/or capture light 663. For instance, light 663 may pass through a gapbetween a structure and a faceplate of an electrical device. The light663 may enter a face 654 (e.g., a facial surface) of the collectorstructure 665. The ambient light guide 670 (e.g., collector structure665) may internally reflect light. In the example of FIG. 6 , thecollector structure 665 has a depth 668 of 2.62 mm. In the example ofFIG. 6 , the collector structure 665 (e.g., a face 654) has a width 656of approximately 32.5 mm.

In some examples, the ambient light guide 670 includes oblique surfaces659, 660 to reflect light towards a center of the ambient light guide670. For instance, the collector structure 665 may include a face 654and a rear 661 (e.g., a rear surface), where one or more sides aredisposed between the face 654 and the rear 661. In the example of FIG. 6, two sides are oblique surfaces 659, 660 between the face 654 and rear661, where the rear 661 is smaller in a width dimension than the face654. In the example of FIG. 6 , a first oblique surface 659 may form anangle 662 (e.g., a reflex angle) relative to the rear 661. For instance,the angle 662 may be 205° or another angle between 180° and 270°. In theexample of FIG. 6 , the oblique surface 659 has a width 658 of 4.9 mm.In some examples, the second oblique surface 660 may be symmetrical orasymmetrical relative to the first oblique surface 659 (across acenterline in a width dimension, for instance). In some examples, anambient light guide may not include oblique angles. For instance, acollector structure may be formed as a rectangular prism or anothershape.

In some examples, the ambient light guide 670 may extend over a majorityof the gap in a width dimension. For instance, the ambient light guide670 (e.g., the face 654) may extend over (e.g., cover) more than 50% ofthe width of the gap. In some examples, the ambient light guide 670(e.g., the face 654) may extend to a complete width of the gap. In someexamples, the ambient light guide 670 (e.g., the face 654) may be largerthan (e.g., extend beyond) the width of the gap.

In some examples, the ambient light guide 670 includes a light pipe 664extending from the collector structure 665 toward the ambient lightsensor (not shown in FIG. 6 ). For instance, light collected in thecollector structure 665 may be conducted to the light pipe 664. Thelight may exit the light pipe 664 to the ambient light sensor. In someexamples, the light pipe 664 is polyhedral in shape. For instance, thelight pipe 664 may form a channel with four side surfaces and an end(e.g., exit) surface 667. In some examples, the end surface may berectangular in shape. In the example of FIG. 6 , the light pipe 664 hasa depth 666 of 3.79 mm.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a side elevation view of an example ofan ambient light guide 782 in accordance with some examples of thetechniques and structures described herein. The ambient light guide 782may be an example of one or more of the ambient light guides (e.g., ofthe ambient light guide 112 described in relation to FIG. 1 , of theambient light guide 332 described in relation to FIG. 4 , of the ambientlight guide 670 described in relation to FIG. 6 , etc.) describedherein. FIG. 7 is illustrated in a height (e.g., z) dimension and adepth (e.g., y) dimension.

The ambient light guide 782 may include a collector structure 771 and/ora light pipe 774. In some examples, the light pipe 774 includes anangled neck extending above a top surface 772 (e.g., plane) of thecollector structure 771 of the ambient light guide 782. For instance,the light pipe 774 may extend obliquely upward from a rear of thecollector structure 771. In the example of FIG. 7 , an upwardlyextending portion of the light pipe 774 has a depth 780 of 1 mm. In someexamples, the light pipe 774 may include an extension portion 781. Theextension portion 781 may form a top angle 778 and a bottom angle 776with the upwardly extending portion. In some examples, the top angle 778may be a reflex angle and/or the bottom angle 776 may be an obtuseangle. For instance, the top angle 778 may be 229° and/or the bottomangle 776 may be 134°.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of an example of anambient light guide 884 in accordance with some examples of thetechniques and structures described herein. The ambient light guide 884may be an example of one or more of the ambient light guides (e.g., ofthe ambient light guide 112 described in relation to FIG. 1 , of theambient light guide 332 described in relation to FIG. 4 , of the ambientlight guide 670 described in relation to FIG. 6 , of the ambient lightguide 782 described in relation to FIG. 7 , etc.) described herein. FIG.8 is illustrated in a height (e.g., z) dimension, a width (e.g., x)dimension, and a depth (e.g., y) dimension.

The ambient light guide 884 may include a collector structure 885 and alight pipe 886. In some examples, an ambient light guide may includemounting features. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8 , the collectorstructure 885 includes first slots 888 a-b and second slots 890 a-b. Thefirst slots 888 a-b and/or the second slots 890 a-b may serve asmounting features to mount (e.g., attach) the ambient light guide 884 toa body of an electrical device (e.g., the electrical device 102described in relation to FIG. 1 , the electrical device 322 described inrelation to FIG. 3 , etc.). For instance, an electrical device mayinclude one or more protrusions (e.g., tabs) that may be disposed in oneor more of the first slots 888 a-b and/or second slots 890 a-b to holdthe ambient light guide 884.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating one configuration of a method 900for sensing ambient light. In some examples, the method 900 may beperformed by one or more of the electrical devices (e.g., electricaldevice 102, electrical device 322, etc.) described herein.

An electrical device may collect 902, by an ambient light guide, ambientlight passing through a gap between a structure and a faceplate of theelectrical device, where the ambient light guide is disposed behind thegap. In some examples, collecting 902 the ambient light may be performedas described in relation to one or more of FIGS. 1-8 .

The electrical device may sense 904, by an ambient light sensor, theambient light collected by the ambient light guide. In some examples,sensing 904 the ambient light may be performed as described in relationto one or more of FIGS. 1-8 .

The electrical device may control 906 a light (e.g., backlight) based ona sensed measurement of the ambient light produced by the ambient lightsensor. For instance, the electrical device may control a light (e.g.,backlight) of the electrical device and/or may send the sensedmeasurement to another device (e.g., home automation controller, server,etc.) to control a light. In some examples, controlling 906 the ambientlight may be performed as described in relation to one or more of FIGS.1-5 .

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating various components that may beutilized in an electrical device 1001. In some examples, one or more ofthe electrical devices described herein (e.g., electrical device 102,electrical device 322, etc.). Examples of the electrical device 1001 mayinclude a light switch, wall switch, dimmer, control panel, push buttonswitch, keyboard, mouse, game controller, click pad, touch pad, keypad,doorbell, thermostat, sprinkler controls, vehicle console, power outlet,wall jack, light (e.g., path light, night light, etc.), etc.

The electrical device 1001 is shown with a processor 1003 and memory1005. The processor 1003 may control the operation of the electricaldevice 1001 and may be embodied as a microprocessor, a microcontroller,an ASIC, an FPGA, a state machine, a digital signal processor (DSP)and/or another device. The processor 1003 may perform logical andarithmetic operations based on program instructions 1007 a and/or data1009 a stored within the memory 1005. The instructions 1007 a in thememory 1005 may be executable to implement one or more of theoperation(s), function(s), approach(es), technique(s), and/or method(s)described herein. FIG. 10 illustrates instructions 1007 b and/or data1009 b being loaded onto the processor 1003. The instructions 1007 band/or data 1009 b may be the instructions 1007 a and/or data 1009 a (orportions thereof) stored in memory 1005.

The electrical device 1001 may also include one or more communicationinterfaces 1011 for communicating with other devices. The communicationinterface(s) 1011 may be based on wired communication technology and/orwireless communication technology, such as ZigBee®, WiMax®, WiFi®,Bluetooth® and/or cellular protocols, such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM®), etc.

The electrical device 1001 may also include one or more input devices1013 and/or one or more output devices 1019. The input devices 1013 andoutput devices 1019 may facilitate input and/or output.

Instructions 1007 a and data 1009 a may be stored in the memory 1005.The processor 1003 may load and execute instructions 1007 b from theinstructions 1007 a in memory 1005 to implement various functions.Executing the instructions 1007 a may involve the use of the data 1009 athat is stored in the memory 1005. The instructions 1007 b and/or data1009 b may be loaded onto the processor 1003. The instructions 1007 maybe executable to implement the one or more of the operation(s),function(s), approach(es), technique(s), and/or method(s) shown hereinand the data 1009 may include one or more of the various pieces of datadescribed herein.

The memory 1005 may be any electronic component capable of storingelectronic information. The memory 1005 may be embodied as random accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic disk storage media,optical storage media, flash memory devices in RAM, on-board memoryincluded with the processor, erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), registers and soforth, including combinations thereof. The various components of theelectrical device 1001 may be coupled together by a bus system 1021,which may include a power bus, a control signal bus and a status signalbus, in addition to a data bus. However, for the sake of clarity, thevarious buses are illustrated in FIG. 10 as the bus system 1021.

In the above description, reference numbers have sometimes been used inconnection with various terms. Where a term is used in connection with areference number, it may refer to a specific element that is shown inone or more of the Figures. Where a term is used without a referencenumber, it may refer generally to the term without limitation to anyparticular Figure.

The term “determining” encompasses a wide variety of actions and,therefore, “determining” can include calculating, computing, processing,deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, adatabase or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Also,“determining” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information),accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like. Also,“determining” can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishingand the like.

The phrase “based on” does not mean “based only on,” unless expresslyspecified otherwise. In other words, the phrase “based on” describesboth “based only on” and “based at least on.”

The method(s) disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions forachieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may beinterchanged with one another without departing from the scope of theclaims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions isrequired for proper operation of the method that is being described, theorder and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modifiedwithout departing from the scope of the claims.

It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the preciseconfiguration and components illustrated above. Various modifications,changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation anddetails of the systems, methods and apparatus described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrical device, comprising: a buttondisposed to protrude through a window of a faceplate, wherein a gap isdisposed between the button and the faceplate; an ambient light guidedisposed to (1) reside behind the gap and (2) collect ambient light topass through the gap; and an ambient light sensor configured to sensethe ambient light collected by the ambient light guide.
 2. Theelectrical device of claim 1, wherein the faceplate comprises a bevelalong the gap to permit ambient light entry into the gap from an obliqueangle.
 3. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein the button comprisesa bevel along the gap to permit ambient light entry into the gap from anoblique angle.
 4. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein the ambientlight guide comprises oblique surfaces to reflect light towards a centerof the ambient light guide.
 5. The electrical device of claim 1, whereinthe ambient light guide extends over a majority of the gap in a widthdimension.
 6. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein the ambientlight guide comprises a light pipe extending from a collector structuretowards the ambient light sensor.
 7. The electrical device of claim 6,wherein the light pipe is polyhedral in shape.
 8. The electrical deviceof claim 6, wherein the light pipe comprises an angled neck extendingabove a top surface of the collector structure of the ambient lightguide.
 9. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein a size of the gap is5 millimeters or less.
 10. The electrical device of claim 1, furthercomprising a controller configured to control a backlight of theelectrical device based on a sensed measurement of the ambient lightproduced by the ambient light sensor.
 11. A method, comprising:collecting, by an ambient light guide, ambient light passing through agap between a structure and a faceplate of an electrical device, whereinthe ambient light guide is disposed behind the gap; and sensing, by anambient light sensor, the ambient light collected by the ambient lightguide.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the faceplate comprises abevel along the gap to permit ambient light entry into the gap from anoblique angle.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the structurecomprises a bevel along the gap to permit ambient light entry into thegap from an oblique angle.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein theambient light guide comprises oblique surfaces to reflect light towardsa center of the ambient light guide.
 15. The method of claim 11, whereinthe ambient light guide extends over a majority of the gap in a widthdimension.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the ambient light guidecomprises a light pipe extending from a collector structure towards theambient light sensor.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the light pipeis polyhedral in shape.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the lightpipe comprises an angled neck extending above a top surface of thecollector structure of the ambient light guide.
 19. The method of claim11, wherein a height of the gap is 5 millimeters or less.
 20. The methodof claim 11, further comprising controlling a light based on a sensedmeasurement of the ambient light produced by the ambient light sensor.